Lupita Nyong’o Cast In Star Wars: Episode VII

It’s about time! We’ve been hearing about Lupita Nyong’o‘s possible participation in the new Star Wars movie for what seems like ages, and she’s finally been confirmed as the latest addition to the cast, along with Game of Thrones actress Gwendoline Christie.

There were reports stating that Lupita initially met Star Wars: Episode VII director JJ Abrams way back in March, after she won her first Oscar for her role in 12 Years A Slave. There were even reports that she was negotiating a deal to star in the film, and many people considered her a lock for the franchise. But when the announcement of the principal cast came and went several weeks ago, Lupita’s name was nowhere on the list. In fact, apart from returning cast member Carrie Fisher and new addition Daisy Ridley, there wasn’t a single woman among the cast. But the fans needn’t have worried, JJ was apparently just taking his time announcing his female cast members. We now have two phenomenal actresses joining the cast, both allegedly in major roles. Lupita will reportedly be playing a principal role, and while we’re not sure why she wasn’t announced with the rest of the cast, there’s a lot of secrecy surrounding her role in the film. Gwendoline, on the other hand, was never rumored for the role so the casting news definitely came out of left-field – although it’s definitely welcome. She’s one of the best parts of Game of Thrones, and it’s great that she’s landing all these fantastic film roles [she’ll also be starring in the last Hunger Games movie].

Lucas Film president [and executive producer for all the Star Wars movies] Kathleen Kennedy released a statement saying, “I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII. It’s thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape.” Lupita also confirmed the news by tweeting, “I can finally say it out loud and proud: I’m going to a galaxy far far away!”

This means that we already have four women as part of the principal cast of Star Wars: Episode VII, which already makes it a marked improvement from all the previous Star Wars films. If you recall, Natalie Portman‘s Padme Amidala was pretty much the only female character to get significant screen time in the prequels, and it was the same with Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia in the original movies. At least the audience has more to look forward to on that front, right?